Garfield Trustees Talk Phishing Scheme, Upcoming South Airport Work, Liquor License

A sophisticated phishing scheme targeting individuals doing business with Garfield Township has prompted staff to remove planning and zoning board of appeals packets off the township website, making them only available by request. Trustees discussed the issue Tuesday, where they also approved a $1.77 million contract with Team Elmer’s to replace sewer main under South Airport Road by Logan’s Landing – work expected to start November 9 – and an application to transfer a liquor license from the former Union Street Station property to Sparky’s Diner.

Phishing Scheme
Approximately a dozen individuals have been targeted through a phishing scheme in which the scammer appears to be pulling information from township meeting packets online and sending tailored letters with specific project details and payment requests to applicants that appear to come from Garfield Township.

Township Manager Chris Barsheff updated the board on the issue Tuesday. He said there have been several attempts over the course of the year to deceive individuals doing business with Garfield Township. He shared an example of such an email, which used a realistic-looking township logo and letterhead and discussed an applicant’s setback request and property address. The letter included a $3,800 invoice for application review, processing, and administration fees.

Barsheff said nobody has been victimized yet because most have been “suspicious” of the message, but Township Supervisor Joe McManus said at least one person came in to the township office with a check looking to pay. Barsheff said it could be “artificial intelligence scanning our website and grabbing onto (the application information) and giving it to somebody…who then tries to engage somebody in conversation.”

Barsheff said there weren’t many options available technology-wise to mitigate the scheme. The township is sending notifications to applicants on the ways it accepts payments along with warnings about potential scams. Because the scheme appears to be targeting planning commission and ZBA applicants, staff also decided as a temporary measure to remove those meeting packets from the website. Only the meeting agendas are now online, with packets available by filling out a form to request them.

That approach raises questions about the ease of accessing documents for the public and media, particularly during non-business hours. Garfield Township’s offices are closed Friday-Sunday and after 6pm Monday-Thursday. Barsheff tells The Ticker that staff will continue to monitor the situation and consider options like an automated delivery of packets for those who request them or an ongoing email list for distributing packets. Townships are not legally required to post their full meeting packets online in Michigan, though almost all do in Grand Traverse County.

South Airport Road
Work is set to begin November 9 on South Airport Road to replace the sewer force main that recently cracked near Logan’s Landing, leaking sewage into the surrounding area. Approximately 1,400 feet of pipe will need to be replaced stretching from near Logan's Landing up the hill to the Park Drive intersection. Trustees in September approved nearly $187,000 in engineering work for the project.

Trustees awarded a $1.77 million construction contract to Team Elmer’s after a public bidding process. Jennifer Graham of Gourdie Fraser, the township’s engineer, said the project is expected to take about three weeks. It’s a trenchless operation, which is meant to minimize traffic impacts – but lane closures are still likely, Graham said. 

She noted the new pipe exceeds industry standards to provide redundancy and capacity for future population growth. The main, which currently serves approximately 2,500 customers with a peak hourly flow of 700 gallons per minute, will have a future capacity of up to 1,400 gallons per minute.

“If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this once,” Graham said.

Liquor License
Finally, trustees this week discussed an application to transfer a Class C liquor license from Cubby LLC at 117 South Union Street – former operators of the now defunct Union Street Station – to Sparky’s Diner on South Airport Road.

Barsheff noted that the Michigan Liquor Control Commission gives trustees and residents the opportunity to weigh in on such applications. Barsheff said he reviewed the request with various department and there were “no issues internally” with Sparky’s Diner receiving a liquor license. Trustees also raised no objections.

In addition to the ‘50s-themed diner side of the restaurant, the business also features menu items from Taqueria TC Latino – offering a mix of both for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Posted hours are Monday-Saturday 7am-9pm and Sunday 7am-6pm.